


Living With Ghosts II: Time Will Do The Talking

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-02-05
Updated: 2002-02-05
Packaged: 2018-11-20 15:39:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11338392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived atThe Basement, which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onThe Basement's collection profile.





	Living With Ghosts II: Time Will Do The Talking

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

Living With Ghosts II: Time Will Do The Talking

## Living With Ghosts II: Time Will Do The Talking

#### by Susan

Title: Living With Ghosts II: Time Will Do The Talking  
Author: Susan  
Feedback to:   
Author's Website: http://www.geocities.com/xfox7/  
Status: Complete  
Category: Unclassified  
Pairing (Primary): Mulder/Krycek  
Pairing(s) (Secondary):   
Crossover Fandom (if any):   
Crossover Info (if any):   
Other Pairing Info:   
Rating: R  
Spoilers:   
Permission to Archive:   
Series or Sequel/Prequel:   
Notes: Notes: Directly follows "You Never Get What You Want." Hopefully I&#8217;ll get the next parts done this century! Again, this story is based on the Patty Griffin song of the same name, from the album Living with Ghosts. It&#8217;s a great CD, I recommend it!   
Beta Thanks: Shout outs to my beta readers &#8211; Kat, Louise, and Kindli. Thanks ever so much!!! Couldn&#8217;t have done it without you.  
Warnings:   
Disclaimer:   
Summary: 

* * *

Time Will Do the Talking  
Second in the Living With Ghosts series 

You were so cruel  
I hated being your fool  
So I got a little bit more mud on my face But the years will bring a bigger scheme of things And make a pretty memory out of my disgrace \--Patty Griffin 

* * *

Mulder jerked away from Krycek, overwhelmed and slightly dizzy by the sudden closeness between them. Glancing at Mulder's back as he moved away, Alex felt a sudden chill. He ached inside from the loss of the other man, and he scolded himself mentally for letting the agent affect him in this way. The man was completely exasperating, fawning in Alex's arms one minute and scurrying away the next. Alex knew that Mulder was unwilling to budge or show a weakness - he'd seen Mulder's stubborn side more than once - and he watched as the cool shield reappeared over the older man's face. Mulder had to have control of the situation, and the agent would not allow himself to slip into Alex's mindset. Alex also knew how unbalanced the older man could be. 

Mulder moved to the couch, flopping down with his normal natural grace and toed off his shoes. He propped his feet on the table before him and twined his fingers behind his head, the picture of composure and detachment, a complete 360 degrees from where he was a few moments before. He was peering at Krycek expectantly, his eyebrows raised in an almost mocking, questioning expression. 

Alex sighed, resigned to Mulder's distancing. The vibe between them was almost electric, and the heavy air seemed to spark on his skin. He knew that Mulder must feel it, but that, too, was unpredictable. Alex could only imagine what the agent was feeling now, wanting to believe that Mulder's feelings were a reciprocal of his own - a strange and complex mixture of lust, hate and awe. No other man could push him this far without suffering. Hell, anybody else would probably be dead by now. But he could never kill the headstrong son of a bitch. Jesus, he couldn't even fight back when Mulder punched him! 

He had come to understand that because he and Mulder were the only two people in the entire world that shared this view into the tangled spiderwebs of power and dominance of the Consortium, a common bond had formed between them. Try as she might, Scully would never believe the scope of the legion of men that they, and the country, were up against. Her blind faith in science left her miles behind Mulder and his pure, unadulterated faith in paranormal, yet palpable, phenomena. Alex knew that in times like this, science was not needed - belief was. Now, if only Mulder would throw some belief his way... 

Content to play the situation out as long as he could, Krycek settled on the couch beside Mulder, although he did not sit as close to the other man as he would have liked. He waited for the words, and he could almost hear them before Mulder muttered them. 

"So. Would you like to talk out some things, Alex? Maybe share some of this newfound sincerity, this sudden affection...you know, like telling me the truth about my father and Scully's abduction..." 

"Stop it, Mulder. Right there." Alex turned to face the agent, his eyes glittering and his lips drawn back in a snarl. He ground out the words "You want the truth. OK, here's the truth. I did kill your father." He paused for effect. "He was an asshole and you didn't like him anyway." Krycek's voice leveled, and he picked his words carefully as if he was pointing out something to a child. "He treated you like shit. He was going to lie to you that night, make up grand stories about the Consortium, but even the lies he would have told you would have gotten you killed." Alex took a breath. "So I killed him first." 

Mulder started, breaking his calm shell, and a vehement growl escaped his lips. But before he could move any farther or protest louder, Alex held up a finger to silence him. "And yes, I was there when Scully was abducted. But I didn't know it was going down that way until afterwards." The younger man ran his hand through his spiky hair, mussing the short strands. "I was only worried about you; you were my responsibility." He looked at Mulder evenly. "I was just doing my job." 

Mulder's jaw was lowered, his expression frozen as he processed the information he'd been given, and he clenched and unclenched his fists. Alex could tell that the agent was at a complete loss as to what to do - his admission must have rendered him speechless. The younger man smiled - victory number two. Propping his feet on the coffee table, Alex leaned back into the couch, waiting expectantly for the explosion. 

"So, Mulder. There's your dose of truth for tonight. I'll let that settle awhile. Do you mind if I scrounge up some food? I noticed you at least had a couple of cans..." 

"Alex. I...don't. How...." Mulder fumbled for words, his eyebrows furrowing dangerously, his voice rough and low. "How do you...why was...he was going to lie to me?" 

Krycek, too, lowered his voice. "Would it be the first time?" 

Moments passed and Mulder's earlier cocky mask fell away as realization set in, his head falling into his hands. 

No more games, Alex thought. Yes, a victory - but hard-won at Mulder's expense. Krycek knew the pain the older man was feeling, that the shock must tear at his heart. He wanted to comfort him, but feared rejection. After the earlier tenderness they shared, to be brushed away would be too painful. However, he still reached out his hand, cupping the back of Mulder's head and brushed the short, soft hairs at his nape. 

Mulder was quiet for several long minutes, and the silence of the apartment fell on them both as thickly as a blanket. Even the faint din of traffic on the street outside seemed to fade into the dark stillness. Alex had almost lost himself in the simplicity of touching the other man until, finally, the agent spoke. He let his hand slip away. 

"You know, Alex, I've been running around in circles for seven years. And for what? I've dug my heels in. I've fought the battles. But it's all just chance, isn't it? I mean, I've always wondered, late at night when I'm trying to sleep, if any good will ever come of all this." His tone was intimate, as if he were talking to himself. Alex leaned in closer to hear his words. "It's the proverbial battle of good versus evil, and I'm afraid that the bad guys are going to win every time. At least, every time I try to beat them, they are - like you said, two steps ahead of me, wiping away the evidence." 

He raised his head a bit, looking around him, and letting his hands fall and rest on his knees. "I've been thinking about this for awhile now, but now, listening to you tonight...it's all falling into place. And I don't like the reality of it. It's maddening. Just like this fucking apartment. I change the lock on the door every so often, thinking maybe it'll keep them out, but they just come in and take whatever they want. It's enough to drive anyone crazy. Nothing's safe, nothing's private. I toughen myself up - learn how to take a little more, learn how to remember more. Tell myself I need to be more dedicated. So I throw myself even more completely into my work." He breathed a slightly self-mocking chuckle, more air than sound, and then continued on, sounding wearied. "But it's never enough. I can take whatever's thrown at me, but afterwards, there's always the doubt of what I'm accomplishing. At the end of the day, is there any point in anything I do?" 

Mulder looked up at Krycek, and continued in his hushed, but clear, voice. "Scully focuses on the preciseness of work, and she misses the subtleties because she looks too closely at everything. And Skinner's no help to me because of his position. He's affected by politics and favors. He can't go out on a limb like I can." Mulder gnawed his lower lip for a beat. "I'm in this alone." 

The agent stopped and pondered his next sentence for a few silent minutes, Alex hanging onto the thick hush, waiting for the man to continue. Mulder lowered his gaze to rest on his shoes. "I don't have a chance in hell of winning, or even moving forward. I'm just...stuck in this cycle of misinformation and lies." 

Alex scooted closer to the other man. He pulled up Mulder's chin with his index finger, raising the hazel eyes level with his green. Alex had to make Mulder understand. 

"That's why you need to trust me. I'm not good. In fact, I'm almost completely evil." Krycek smirked, then continued. "But I try to use my evil for good. Don't you see? If you jump to the other side of the battle for a minute, try to see things from my perspective, you'll see that it's easier to fight them from the inside out. It's like I'm a Trojan horse." Alex could tell his words were not getting through that thick skull. He tried a different approach. "And if you turned off that self-righteous conscience for a while you might find out that you're not as good as you think you are, and that you're not alone!" 

Alex stopped, laughing slightly, seeing a spark in Mulder's eyes again. "By the way, if you ever decide to find your evil side, give me a call and I'll be more than happy to help you." Krycek could see Mulder perk up a bit more, his shoulders straightening and his fists unclenching. He continued on with his train of thought. "I've learned that the best way to get what you want is to wait for it. You've got to have some patience. The last few years have been a waiting game for me. Time will always tell you what you need to know to get the edge over others. I'm alive right now because I know how to blend into the woodwork." 

Finally, Krycek could tell that Mulder was listening to him, and he knew he was starting to make sense in that complex machine of a mind. He released the agent's chin and grasped one of his hands in his. There was one last thing he wanted to say before he had to leave, and he wanted Mulder to digest his words completely. 

"Mulder, just remember that I've always been here for you. Just...in a different way. I've been shadowing you and protecting you. I know you know it, and you know that you know it. If you just listen to your instincts, they'll call you back to where you belong, and you'll understand me better. Time is what you need," Krycek leaned in close to him, "and we've got all the time in the world." 

He moved even closer and pressed his lips to Mulder's. He felt his kiss answered, the agent moving his hands up to Krycek's neck to pull the younger man closer. Alex's heart raced, and his conscience whispered to him, You are not pushing him. He is coming to you. But you need to leave. It's moving too fast. He pulled away from Mulder's embrace, licking his lips to taste what lingered of the other man. He wanted to stay, but he knew he couldn't. 

"Mulder, I...." 

But the agent interrupted. "Alex...Alex. Do you know how much I've missed saying your name?" Mulder smiled sadly up at him, looking faraway and wistful one moment before his smile became a devilish grin, his hair and clothing deliciously disheveled as he reclined against the smooth leather of the couch. "All the time in the world, hey? I've got some evil in me, too?" He laughed, a low, velvety laugh that rang in Alex's ears. 

Mulder's fingers strayed, finding the hem of Krycek's shirt, reaching up to rub the short, wiry hairs at his navel. Alex could not breathe, and the words clogged his throat. He could only comply as Mulder pulled him back down to his mouth, whispering between kisses. "Share your evil with me, Alex. Stay with me tonight and teach me some of your tricks." He pushed Alex away from his lips, a small groan shared between them as they felt the loss. His eyebrows were raised slightly, as if in a question, and his lips were beginning to pout in just the way that drove Alex crazy. He sighed. 

"OK. I will, Mulder. Just...remember what you're saying. It's still me, Alex Krycek, rat bastard." 

"Oh, I know exactly who you are. And I've been waiting for this for years now. I just didn't know it before tonight." Before their lips met again, Mulder muttered, "You're right. Patience." 

* * *

Oh baby don't you know that the  
Time will do the talking  
Years will do the walking  
I'll just find a comfy spot and wait it out  
Time will tell you baby what you can't hear now.  
\--Patty Griffin 

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Susan 


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